The Scent of Hate
by ajoy3
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome have hated each other for as long as they can remember. The scent of Kagome makes him literally making him sick. After years of not seeing each other, they once again meet at college, much to their displeasure. When a series of events forces them to spend time together, will they be able to overcome their hatred and prejudices to find harmony?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by to check out my new fic _The Scent of Hate_! I wasn't going to start a new fic until I finished up _Fractured_ (By the way, I am working on the next chapter! Finals got in the way :P) But the idea for this story came to me, and it had too much potential _not_ to write it. Anyway, I hope you like it, and if you do, please review! Enjoy!

And as always, readers sensitive to language and sexual situations- consider this your warning ;)

Inuyasha walked down the hallway, counting the numbers on the passing doors.

He was getting closer.

Damn it! That fucking flea, demanding that he check on that annoying, smelly bitch. It made his his stomach turn just thinking about having to see her again.

Having to _smell_ her again.

He had been avoiding her for years now, and it had been working perfectly, until she just _had_ to come to his damn college. And the fucking flea demanded that he check up on her and offer her help moving in!

353.

He had finally come to the door.

Inuyasha took one last deep breath of air before he pulled up his face mask and pinched his nose.

Reluctantly, he knocked.

Gritting his teeth in anticipation, he felt his aggravation growing by the second.

"Hello?" She said as she opened the door. Inuyasha knit his eyebrows together.

He knew it had been a long time since he had seen Kagome, but he didn't think it had been _that_ long.

"Can I help you?" She said, as her brown eyes darted up to his ears.

Brown.

Not her.

"I'm looking for Kagome." He grunted out, still holding his nose.

"You are…" The woman said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes I am. Is she here or not?" He said impatiently.

"Shes on her way up. Are you sure you know her? Kagome doesn't usually associate with such rude jerks."

"Rude? What the-"

"Inuyasha?" Her voice called from behind him, a hint of horror in it.

He turned to look at her, a scowl on his face.

She was standing in the door way holding a large box, her thick black hair thrown up into a bun, stray strands framing her face. She had lost the roundness in it that she held as a child, but her cheeks were still attractively plump. Her blue eyes were wide with shock at his arrival.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in disbelief, a clear look of annoyance on her face.

Oh yeah. It wasn't just that the scent of her made him sick to his stomach.

He fucking hated her personality. How the hell could he forget?

She was snooty and loud and fucking smelled and she got angry so easily and was such a damn tattle tale. She was always snitching on him for being "mean". Its not his fault she fucking smelt.

"For a fucking social call. Why the hell do you think?" He shot back.

"Will you stop holding your nose like that?! You're going to make people think I smell." She muttered with clenched teeth.

"You do!"

Kagome thrust the box towards him and pushed him inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

"What the hell!"

"That's what I should be saying! How did you get my dorm number?"

"You think I wanted it? Myouga shoved it down my damn throat!"

"Myouga? Oh my gods, I told him not to send you." She said rubbing her temples. "I told him that-"

"Oi. I don't want to hear the backstory. It's hard enough being around you. Do you need help or not?"

"What?" Kagome asked, taken aback.

"Do-you-need-help-fucking-moving-in?"

"Inuyasha, even if I needed help, I wouldn't ask you."

"Kagome, this guy is a complete ass, but if he's offering, he could help move the sofa." The other woman interjected.

"No thanks."

"But-"

"We can move it just fine when Miroku gets here."

"Feh. Then Im out of here."

"Good. Forget my room number."

"Already forgotten." He said as he walked to the door. "Oh-" He turned quickly and pulled out his phone, taking a quick picture of her.

"What the heck!" She screeched.

Inuyasha cringed from the sudden sound of her voice. That apparently hadn't changed either.

"For the flea. To prove I was here."

"Delete that!" She commanded.

"By the way, why the hell did you have to choose my college?"

"Ugh, goodbye Inuyasha!" She said, slamming the door in his face.

"Fucking bitch." He murmured as he walked away, waiting until her was further down the hall to take off his mask for good measure. He began taking deep breaths threw his nose. It felt good to get fresh air into his lungs.

He couldn't stand her.

Time hadn't changed that at all.

He looked down at his phone to send the picture to Myouga. Taken by surprise, she still somehow looked like she posed for it.

Time had changed her. Maybe a little.

~.~

"Who in the world was that Kagome?" Sango asked, utterly confused.

"My childhood nightmare coming to haunt me." She said closing her eyes as she slumped against the wall.

"Care to explain that better?"

"That's Inuyasha Takahashi."

"Okay…"

"His father, my Gramps and Myouga were all best friends back in the day. Mr. Takahashi and Myouga were devout patrons to our shrine because of their friendship. When Inuyashas father died, Myouga became his guardian. Every holiday, festival, break whatever- Inuyasha came along for the visits."

"And obviously you guys don't get along." Sango said with a laugh. "What was the thing about his nose?"

"For as long as I can remember hes told me I smell. My scent makes him sick. When we were kids he used to push me down and run away to get a head start running away from me. He would make the other kids who came to the shrine tease me. When anyone would show interest in me, he would say "how can you stand to be near someone who smells so bad?" Gods, he used to say it to the boys I had crushes on. When we were younger we were forced to be together. Once we got a bit older we kept our distance as much as we could, but for ceremonies we always got stuck together. And the time we did have to spend together, he always managed to make me cry. Hes such a jerk!" She said clenching her fists.

"Well, if it helps Kagome, I think you smell great." Sango laughed. Kagome shot her a knowing look.

"Its because hes a demon that his scent his sharper. And because hes a _dog_ demon he smells things more intensely."

"But still, he could be more of an adult about it."

"Yeah, I honestly didn't think he would have grown up since I last saw him. But one could hope."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Mmm…He was able to stay home from visits and festivals at about 12. I haven't seen him since, thank God." Kagome said. "But that doesn't mean I haven't been updated on Inuyashas news. Gramps has kept us up to date over the years, despite my obvious disinterest. After a while I just learned to hear him out."

"So… why did you choose this college if you knew he was here? If he was such a nightmare." Sango asked.

"Im not going to let some bully stop me from going to my dream college, Sango. And honestly I figured that this campus is so big that we might not even run into each other. We might not have if it wasn't for Myouga."

"Well, as unpleasant as it was, it sounds like he was just looking out for you." Sango said with a smile.

"Oh, I know he was. Myouga has always joked around that I was the granddaughter he never had. That's why when he found out I was coming here he used his connections to get us this suite. This is usually reserved for the juniors, but Myouga said he wanted us to be comfortable."

"Well, Im definitely glad for it. To this we will have all this room!"

"I know." Kagome said with a smile. "And were not even done bringing in the stuff."

"You really should have let him help. It would have saved us work and made him do the heavy lifting."

Kagome couldn't help but snort.

"Heavy lifting? Please. Inuyasha wouldn't even break a sweat."

"Who wouldn't break a sweat?" Miroku asked as he walked through the door.

"No one."

"An old friend of Kagomes." Sango said.

"I wouldn't use that word." She narrowed her blue eyes.

"Who are we talking about then? Anyone I know?"

"Well, know _of_." Kagome said."

"Oh?"

"Inuyasha stopped by."

Miroku blinked for a few minutes in confusion, until it dawned on him.

"OH, Inuyasha! The guy who used to bully you?"

"You know him?" Sango asked.

"No," Miroku shook him head. "I never went to celebrate at the shrine like he did. I went to my fathers hometown for festivals, so I always missed the notorious Inuyasha."

It wasn't for lack of trying however. Miroku and she had attended the same middle school, and had become good friends right away. When he had heard of how the dog demon acted towards Kagome, Miroku could not believe the injustice. At 11 years old he was ready to show the rumored bully a thing or two about chivalry.

But, as he was still a child, he was forced to go where his parents went, and thus missed meeting Inuyasha. It wasn't long after that the demon had stopped coming altogether.

"You brought drinks?" Kagome asked, trying to change the topic. She had talked enough about the hanyou for one day.

Scratch that. One lifetime.

"Of course! I figured you ladies must be in need of some caffeine by now."

"How right you are." Kagome said, removing the cup from the tray. "What a considerate boyfriend you've got Sango."

"Really? He must want something." Sango said mockingly.

"Sango, you are so cruel." Miroku said, placing his hand over his heart. "You know the only thing I want is you."

Kagome rolled her eyes at his dramatic display. Even though he and Sango had been together for 3 years now, there were times that Kagome still couldn't get used to his over the top displays.

"See? I told you he wants something."

Kagome laughed. She enjoyed seeing her friends so happy together.

"Well, this break has been long enough for me. Im going to grab some more boxes."

"Should we bring up the couch now that Miroku is here?" Sango asked.

"I should be able to bring it up with him, if you wanted to finish putting the kitchen things away."

"Are you sure? It looked heavy."

"Nah, it will be fine. Im used to doing heavy lifting at the shrine."

"Its true. You should have seen the things her Grandfather used to make her lug out! Kagome was more like a Shrine Mule than a Shrine Maiden."

"Ow!" He cried as both women hit him over the head. "It can be such a pain to be friends with women!"

"We were thinking the same thing." Sango replied.

"Lets get this over with." Kagome sighed.

~.~

Inuyasha sat on the ledge of a building, waiting for her to come by.

Its not like he wanted to help.

Keh, he wanted to watch her struggle.

He had dashed home as fast as he could to change out of his clothes. When he was a kid, the scent of her would stay with him long after she left.

He would have to shower immediately and throw away his outfit.

He completed the routine he hadn't had to do since he was a child, then raced back to wait.

Damn women.

He had gone out of his way to offer his help.

Sure, the flea had forced him, and its not like he wanted to, but she had shoved him out the fucking door! He just wanted to watch her struggle, and maybe, if she apologized, he would help her and that 'Miromu', whoever the hell that was.

His amber eyes caught sight of her, and he pinched his nose reflexively, moving his mask into position, just in case.

He could never be too safe around that wench.

One visit from her would have his head spinning, so dizzy from her scent that it made his nauseous. It was sickeningly sweet, overbearing to the point that it was incapacitating.

He watched as she walked over to the moving truck. He watched as she pulled up her loose white tee shirt to stick her cellphone in the back pocket of her jean shorts, laughing at something the man beside her was saying.

Feh, did she manage to get a boyfriend? He must be totally desensitized to odors and bad personalities.

She was holding her own with the bulky piece of furniture, but she was still struggling.

Feh, still a pathetic, weak human. That hadn't changed.

Just as he was about to jump down, a man approached Kagome. She shook her head, looking as if she was telling him no, but he wouldn't take that for an answer. Effortlessly, he stood beside her to take the weight from her.

Inuyasha squinted his eyes as he watched her back away, rubbing the back of her neck, looking as if she was offering thanks, before going to the truck to grab another box.

Inuyasha wasn't sure why it got under his skin the way it did. What the hell was he even doing, watching her from the root top? Kagome had been nothing but a sickening nuisance since the moment he met her. It just pissed him off the way she treated him back there, like she had any reason to be mad!

Maybe she was right. If they had any luck, the wouldn't have to lay eyes on each other for the next few years.

Inuyasha groaned.

He had never considered himself lucky.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome took one last look in the mirror, double checking her outfit and hair, before she turned to grab her back pack. She felt nervous and excited, jittery with her pent up energy. Today was the first day as an official college student.

She had been looking forward to this her entire life; she had worked hard in middle school to get into a great high school. Not just a good one, but a _great_ one- even earning her an academic scholarship. She had made sure that she embraced her high school life as fully as possible; she joined committees, was a class representative, went to all the dances and festivals… short of being a cheerleader, she had done it all, while still maintaining her flawless grade point average. It was hard work, but she knew that if she wanted to go to college, and reel in a scholarship, she had to look like a valuable asset.

It wasn't that her family couldn't afford college, or that she couldn't get into loans; she didn't want to burden her family with the financial responsibility of her education. She wanted the best, but didn't want her mom to have to foot the bill; after all, the best didn't come cheap. When Myouga heard that she had gotten accepted, he went right to work to take care of her lodging- a complete surprise to Kagome, but a much welcomed one.

Unlike his other surprise of Inuyasha. Kagome could feel a stress headache coming her way if she thought about him much longer. With any luck, she would be able to avoid the hanyou completely. What would the chances be that they hang in the same circles, or have the same classes? It had to be small- right?

Taking a deep breath, she locked the door behind her and walked in the direction of her first class.

~.~

Inuyasha smacked the alarm near his bed, unintentionally throwing it across the room. First broken one of the semester, sure to be the first of many. Alarms never lasted long for the hanyou. He had set them on his cell phone for a while, but he always ended up flinging the damn things. Cell phones proved to be more fragile and expensive than the bulky, cheaply made alarm clocks.

Groaning, he looked over at the woman in his bed. Why was she still here? Didn't these women know better than to stay the night? Didn't this chick have a class of her own to get to?

"Hey…uh-" He grumbled, trying to remember her name. When it didn't immediately come to him, he decided he didn't need to formally address her. "Get up." He rose to his feet and walked to the bathroom; he knew that this would have to be the worlds fastest shower if he wanted to be on time for class. He mentally went over the plan in his head. Shower, get dressed, brush teeth, grab a bagel, backpack, run out the door. Easy enough.

He hadn't foreseen the woman still in his bed, sleeping soundly.

"Up." He said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping wet. The girl moaned in protest.

"What? Why?" She mumbled, turning over.

"Seriously?" He scoffed, jaw slightly dropping. "This isn't your room. Leave."

"But its so early." She pouted. She was pretty. Brunette, clear skin. She had beautiful lips, especially when she pouted like that.

"That's because its morning." He was quickly losing whatever patience he had. "Don't you have class?"

"Not until noon."

"Well I had to leave like 5 minutes ago. And I cant go until you do."

"You don't look like you're ready." She sat up, trying to tug free his towel. "Why don't you stay here? We could-"

"If you don't get out by the time I'm finished getting dressed, I'm going to throw you out."

"You wouldn't-"

"Try me." He grinned, showing his fangs. "You're not the first to try and cling the morning after."

Annoying.

All of them, so annoying. Trying to stay the night, the weekend, move in with him. Trying to cozy up, seduce and lure his affections. It sounded conceded, but everyone knew who he was on campus.

He was the dog demon of House Takahashi; The son of a millionaire. The status of a demon.

He was handsome, had disposable money and he was single.

He couldn't count the number of women who aimed to change that.

But just as his income was disposable, women were too.

He was slightly relieved to see that the woman who had occupied his bed was gone. Normally, he didn't let girls stay the night. Their scent clung to his sheets, and while in the moment it may have smelt great, afterwards it just got annoying. If he could help it, they wouldn't come back to his room, and if they did, well, he could find other places to meet their needs than his bed.

But when they met it was late, and after the deed, they were both tired. And with school the next morning he thought it wouldn't hurt to let her stay. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, right?

Except she _had_ to stay. _Had_ to try and entice him back to bed. How many times had women tried this before? Wanting to make a night unforgettable, turn it into a weekend, or a week? Next thing he knew they were trying to leave a toothbrush and claim a draw. No, that was a road he wasn't about to go down again. That's why he had very clear rules and boundaries, and when they tried to cross them, he had to get firm.

Inuyasha opened the window to let in the breeze, remove the scent of the night, and grabbed his things before he locked his door. It was a good thing he had demon speed; he was already late.

~.~

Kagome ran down the hallway as fast as her feet could carry her; she was late. Late! On her first day of class! She had taken a wrong turn on campus, which brought her to the wrong street, which brought her to the wrong building, only to realize her mistake and have to go back to where she started.

As she turned down the hallway she sighed with relief. Only 4 more doors, and she would be there. 10 minutes late, but she still made it. As she grabbed the handle to the door, she looked up to see the most horrifying sight she had seen all day.

Inuyasha.

Heading to the same room.

The same class.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost, judging from the look on his face. He quickly moved his clawed hand to his face, covering his nose.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked.

"Going to class, what do you think?" She furrowed her brows together. "I'm already late, move out of the way."

"No way. This is _my_ class. I cant spend the entire semester with _you_. I'll pass out or die from your stench!"

"Then change classes dog boy." She snapped.

"Like Hell! I need this class. This is a sophomore class! How did you even get in?"

"I took courses in high school that counted as college credits. What does it even matter? I need this class too. I'm not changing it."

"Well I aint either!" He protested.

"Look," She started, placing her hands on her hips, "We both need the class. It doesn't mean we have to interact with each other. Lets just go to opposite ends of the room."

"But your smell-" He argued.

"Will you knock it off?!" She hit his arm.

"Watch it!"

"I don't need everyone in class thinking I stink."

"You do!"

"Ugh!" Kagome rubbed her temples. "I'll have you know people say I smell great."

"Feh. What people?"

"Can you just stop? Lets go in before class ends."

"I'm never going to survive this semester." He complained. She whipped her head around to look at him.

"Then get some smelling salts, you big baby."

 _'Cheeky wench. When shes mad like that, she almost looks hot.'_ Inuyasha thought. _'Too bad she smells fucking awful.'_ He took a deep breath and lowered his hand. He could bare not breathing through his nose for a minute. Even if she fucking reeked, he didn't want to be the one to socially isolate her; he wasn't that big of a dick.

"Ah, I see we have some late comers." The teacher said, drawing everyone's attention to the back of the room. Inuyasha was glad he wasn't covering his nose now.

"Sorry." Kagome apologized, walking down the row to find an open seat. Inuyasha began to walk in the opposite direction.

"Not so fast. Since you are both late, you two are the last to be paired up. Before you leave, exchange names and numbers. I just explained the project, so you can both see me after class if you have any questions."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide.

"Excuse me, I can't-"

"Please find your seat; you've already disrupted class once."

"But-"

"You have two choices. You can either take a seat, or leave the class. It's your choice." The teacher said.

Inuyasha looked from the teacher to Kagome, then back to the teacher. With a disgruntled huff, he went to the opposite side of the room to sit down.

 _'This is going to be a fucking disaster.'_

~.~

"She's not going to let us switch partners." Kagome said.

"Well then one of us has to drop the class."

"Are we really having this conversation again?" She asked, her tone dry.

"I've been here longer. You should drop it. Or change times, or something." He reasoned.

Kagome reached into her bag, pulling out a pen and paper. She quickly scribbled something, then shoved the paper towards him. He eyed it suspiciously as he covered his nose.

"What do you want me to do with that?" He asked.

"My number and email." She said flatly.

"Not interested." He answered quickly. Kagome blinked in awe.

"What makes you think I am?" She narrowed her eyes. "Obviously, since neither one of us is going to switch classes, we have to work together. So we'll just have to grin and bare it. We can do as much as we can on our own and communicate through texts and emails."

Inuyasha considered her proposal as she pushed the paper towards him once more.

"Okay, okay." He said, taking it from her. "I'll text you my info."

"Great." She turned around, leaving him to stare at her backside.

 _'I've got to get out of here. I need to fucking breathe. Her stench lingers. This is the worst fucking day.'_

Kagome walked to her next class, feeling the telltale signs of a massive headache coming her way, the first of what she was sure to be many this semester.

 _'He's such a jerk! I can't believe he thought I wanted to give him my number… for that! This is going to be a nightmare.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome looked down at her phone, waiting for Inuyasha to reply. It had been 5 days since she saw him in class. 5 days since she had asked him about possible topics for the projects. 5 days of her messages going ignored.

"This is driving me crazy Sango." She whined. "How in the hell am I supposed to do this partner project with him, if he wont even answer me back?"

"And you still think the teacher wont change your partners? What if you found someone to switch with?"

She shook her head. "Nah, the teacher was really mad we were late. We didn't make the greatest first impression."

"I hate to say it, but you might have to do this project on your own." Her friend said with a frown.

"That's just it- this project _requires_ two people. We're supposed to get to pick a topic, and in the process get know each other, and then evaluate our team work throughout the process."

"Sounds weird."

"Sounds like my psychology nightmare. I knew this teacher was tough when I signed up… but this is ridiculous." Kagome rubbed her temples. "We have a check in deadline in 2 days."

"Hunt him down." Sango suggested. Kagomes eyes grew wide before she groaned.

"This isn't how my first week of college is supposed to be."

"Hey, how about we go to that party tonight?" Sango asked, trying her best to cheer her up.

"At the frat house? Eh, I don't know…"

"Come on, it's going to be fun. Miroku said-"

"I still cant get used to the idea of him at a frat house." Kagome said with a grin.

"Really? I think he fits right in with those idiots." She answered flatly.

" I guess… it could be fun." Kagome said, biting her lower lip.

"That's the spirit! Who knows, maybe youll meet a cute guy. You haven't dated anyone since Hojo."

"That's- That's not true!" She countered. "I went out on dates."

"Please. Those hardly counted."

"I doubt I'm going to meet prince charming at a frat party." She said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Screw prince charming; He's boring. I'd rather have a rouge with a good body."

"Yeah, because that's the definition of Miroku." Kagome laughed, just as Sango threw a pillow at her face.

"Alright, alright. I'll go."

~.~

If Inuyasha got one more fucking text from her, he was going to personally march down to her dorm and remove his number from her phone. Already he was contemplating changing his number, but that seemed like a lot of work.

She just kept messaging him, over and over about the fucking project.

He got it. He had to fucking help her out.

But he would do it on _his_ time. He wasn't fucking happy about this. And honestly, he didn't see the big deal. They still had 2 days to complete the check in.

He would deal with all of that tomorrow.

Tonight, he was going to party.

After all, it was well deserved. This week had been fucking tough.

He was constantly having to look over his shoulder, worried he was going to run into Kagome. If he got a sneak attack from that wench, he might pass out on the spot.

'Fuck it. That's tomorrows problem.' He said to himself. Tonight, he was interested in getting drunk, and getting laid.

Walking into the house, the sound of the music blaring made his ears flatten against his head.

Unconsciously, he had been holding his breath against the barrage of smells that would assault him.

But he hadnt been ready for it.

It was a scent like he had never smelled before.

It was sweet and delicate. It called to him like a beautiful song.

Inuyasha followed it, his feet moving before his brain even comprehended it.

He moved through the rooms, weaving through the crowds of people. Some women tugged on his arm to try and get his attention.

They were pretty, and the smelled good.

But nothing like _that_. In his entire life, he had never been so drawn to something as he was to this mystery scent.

He tracked it down to a couple, a man who had a woman pressed up against a wall. They were flirting, he could tell from their body language, from the giggles he was eliciting from the female.

Inuyasha was torn. He had found the source, but now what? Should he just pull the two apart, and introduce himself?

'Hi, I'm Inuyasha and you smell fucking incredible? Want to get a room?'

Unless this was a female demon he was dealing with, the chick just wouldn't get it, and that pathetic line had a slim chance of working anyway.

Maybe if he could just walk by, and get a look at who it was.

Yeah, that seemed right. For all he knew she was some hag.

Even as he thought that, his gut told him otherwise. Not just from her scent, which was the most enticing aroma he had ever found, but also from the way thus guy was caging her in his arms. Like he was trying to shield others from getting a good look at her. Trying to keep the goods all to himself.

Walking by, trying to act casual, he turned his head slightly, trying to use his peripherals to scope out his prey. He-

"Hey!" A feminine voice called out to him. "Long time no see." She smiled up at the hanyou, batting her big brown eyes.

He couldn't remember for the life of him who this woman was, but he apparently seemed to know her.

"I'm kind of busy right now." He said, trying not to appear too obvious.

"You don't look like it." She said, pouting her lower lip. "How come you didn't call me? I-"

He caught a sharp spike of the scent.

It was like a punch in the gut, knocking the breath out of him.

Whoever it was, she was enjoying this jerks attention.

She was aroused.

Not a lot; not so much that he lost hope.

But just enough to make him salivate.

"I _am_ busy. We can talk later."

The woman looked him up and down suspiciously.

"Okay. But I'll hold you to that."

Inuyasha turned his head, this time not giving a fuck how obvious he looked. He was going to stare at them until the mystery woman looked his way.

She had dark hair, black and thick. It fell in waves around her shoulders, and was unfortunately blocking his damn view of her face.

She laughed again, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She looked down in what Inuyasha assumed was bashfulness. She got over it soon enough. She looked up at him, her face in full view-

" _YOU?!"_ He yelled, his hand reflexively flying up to his nose.

"In-Inuyasha?!" She shrinked back, retreating into the mans embrace.

"What the hell!" He started. "Why do you-"

"Is this your boyfriend?" The guy asked, only slightly bothered.

"No!" they both shirked in unison, turning their attention to him for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "Why are you-"

"Why the fuck do you smell like that?!" He asked, watching her eyes grow wide.

"INUYASHA." She ground out. "Leave me the hell alone!"

"Not until you tell me what the fuck is up with your stench! Did you wash today? Why do- OW!" The dog demon felt a swift slap across his face before hearing the sound of her storm off.

"Kagome! Get back here!" He called, watching as she moved through the crowd.

"No!" she shot back, making her way for the exit.

"Kagome-" He was growling now, actually fucking growling. He was chasing after the bitch for the first time in his life, his nose following the trail of her pissed off scent.

Once she got outside, she took off into a run.

Was she freaking crazy? Did she think she could actually out run a demon? He jumped in front of her, effortlessly, and slightly turned on from the chase.

"Leave me alone, Inuyasha!"

"Not a chance." Not until he figured out why

"Are you determined to make my life living hell?" She asked. "Every time I see you, you embarrass me to death. Was it not enough to do it every chance you got as kids?"

"This and that are separate things."

"Hardly! Not only did you interrupt me and-" Kagome waved her hand, hoping the lack of name would not hinder her argument. "-My friend! But you went off like a nut job again about how I smell!"

"Because you do!"

"UGH!" He was driving her insane. She wasn't going to finish college, because he was going to drive her right into a straight jacket.

"If I bother you that much, then why don't you leave me alone? Why do you insist on letting everyone know that you think I smell, at every chance you have? You know, some people, when they don't like something, or it just isn't their cup of tea, ignore it and move on with their life. But no, not you. Not Inuyasha Takahashi. You have to obsess over it and let the whole world know what's going on in that pea brain of yours!"

Good point.

Damn her for having a good point!

"Damn it wench! Its not my fault that your stench is nearly fatal for me. Far as I'm concerned, I'm doing everyone a public service!"

"Oh, so that's what that was back there? A public service?"

"Damn straight." He said, crossing his arms.

"I cant believe you. You know, after all the years of having the displeasure of knowing you, you never freaking surprise me. Having to put up with you as a kid was hard enough. But then I see you at college, coming to my door, holding your nose like I-"

And then it hit her.

"Why aren't you covering your nose?" She asked skeptically. "How are you able to stand here, this close to me, without your face mask?"

"Feh, I- I-"

Gods, he was stuttering. He sounded like a fucking idiot, and try as he might, he couldn't focus his attention. The smell of her was driving him mad.

He had never been so attracted, so reactive to the way a woman smelled. He had had scores of women in his bed, their arousal turning him on, and bringing him to a satisfied place. It wasn't the same as this. It threatened to bring him to the edge, push him over. He had smelled women who made him hungry, but never like this.

With Kagome, he felt fucking starved.

"Oh my God." She said, her jaw dropping as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh my freaking God! You don't think I smell!" She said louder than she intended. Really, all these years she had tried to keep the hanyous voice calm when he said that nonsense, and here she was blurting it out for the world to hear.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, you crazy bitch! For some reason you-"

She leaned forward, as if waiting for his bullshit lie.

"I don't know what happened but you don't smell _as_ bad anymore. That's what I was trying to say back there. But you went off the fucking deep end!"

"This is brilliant." Kagome said, bursting out into laughter. He hated to admit it, but he liked the sound of it. Liked the way her scent spiked with her happiness. And he hated himself for it.

The way her scent wrapped around him, the way it seemed to bore into his soul.. it left him agitated and uncomfortable, but not in the way it had before.

Now he was filled with intense desire, just from being near her. Fuck, when it came to Kagome it was always extremes.

"Hold on, I just need a minute to process this." She held up her hand, while the other wiped her stray tears away. "Okay, okay. I'm alright now."

"Glad I could freaking amuse you, wench." The dog demon snarled.

"You know what, this is a good thing." She smiled up at him.

"Eh?" He raised a brow at her suddenly changed demeanor. She stepped forward and grabbed his hand. It sent a shock down his spine, the simple contact sending new waves of arousal so intense it was making him crazed. She smiled at him as she tugged his clawed hand without a second thought.

"Come on."

"What're you doing?" He ground out, hardly recognizing the husky voice as his own.

"Were going back to my place." She said simply.

"Wha-?" The wind was being knocked out of him. He hated her. He wanted her. He couldn't stand her smell. Now all he wanted to do was breathe it in for the rest of his life.

"We're finally going to work on the project. Seriously, I've been trying to get a hold of you all week! I-"

Her words faded into the background as she led him forward, lecturing the whole way.

As good as her scent was, it didn't change the fact that he fucking hated her.


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha looked impatiently at his phone, checking the time for the 5th time since he sat down at the small table. He had come early, just to avoid hearing her bitch and moan about him being late. But instead of waiting with a smug look of satisfaction on his face, he increasingly became annoyed that _she_ was not early, and he was there sitting, waiting for a female for the first time in a _long_ time.

They decided to meet at the small outdoor café after the fiasco that was their last encounter. After running into her at the party and discovering not only that she doesn't smell as revolting as he remembered, but she actually smelt good _(Damn fucking good)_ it threw his world into chaos.

To say the least, Kagome had been pissed at him, and yeah, if Inuyasha was honest he understood why. From her perspective, he had stormed up to her at the party, come between her and some asshole, questioned her about her hygiene and made a fool out of her in front of everyone (or so she said- over and over again under her breath). Like he said, he got it, but it didn't mean he deserved the cruel and unusual payback she'd given him. She appeared annoyed at first, and then, as if watching the wheels in her brain turn, saw the very moment she decided she was going to torture him. Honestly, it was kind of frightening, watching the idea spring to life as a slow smile spread across her face.

They wound up in front of her room and by reflex he screwed up his nose and held his breath. She had practically pulled him the entire way there; he had been too mesmerized in the way she looked in those heels (this couldn't be the same Kagome and the feel of her skin gripping his (not the girl he had dumped a bucket of dirt and worms on her head) and how fucking wonderful everything smelled (seriously, this couldn't be Kagome, right?) that he had suddenly found himself smack dab in front of her dorm door. He felt panicky as they walked through the door, she jabbering on and on about the project and how annoying it was to work with a partner she couldn't get in touch with. Finally, when his lungs were about to give, and it was either breathe or pass out (which didn't seem like such a bad option- her nagging was on another fucking level), he readied himself and inhaled.

It didn't smell like the repulsive odor of his childhood, the one that made him run to his mothers skirts and beg to leave. It wasn't the strong stench that gave him a headache that lasted the entire day. It wasn't the sickeningly sweet smell that made his stomach turn.

It was nice.

Really, _really_ fucking nice.

Like so fucking great that he wanted to wrap himself in it, wanted to find where the hell the smell was the strongest.

It reminded him of gentle wildflowers and honey, and something that was just _her._

And that was what was the fucking problem.

 _Her_.

She annoyed the piss out of him. Sure, she had grown up to be alright looking (honestly, more than alright- the more he stared the more she looked like a damned goddess), but that wasn't the point! Out of sheer principal he _couldn't_ and _wouldn't_ be attracted to her. If 8 year old him, hell even 2 months ago him could see the way his brain was spinning they would have laughed, then punched him in the gut to get his head straight. But apparently what he wanted didn't matter; another very domineering part of his body seemed to take the reins in this department, and Gods, whenever he waked into the enclosed space that was overwhelming bathed in _her-_

It was like it went straight to his groin. It had to be the most enticing thing he had ever smelled. She was just moving around, gathering supplies, and the smell rolling off of her made him want to lay her down on the table and fuck her senseless.

God Damn it, he was fucking senseless for acting like such a fool! He was pissed off at her and at himself for being so easily persuaded by his animal instincts. Inuyasha walked over to the window and opened it, praying the fresh air would clear his head.

"Hot?" She asked, looking at him.

Yeah, apparently for her.

He had noticed it before, but in his absence she had grown quiet attractive. Even though she had quite large breasts and a nice curve to her hips, she still had a look of innocence in her face that looked more cute than sexy.

He preferred sexy, by far. It wasn't that he had a type, but he wasn't into training girls. It was too much work, and they only got attached. He could always tell the women who would match him, who would give him an equally good time.

For some reason he was questioning that.

For the first time in his entire life, he wondered what Kagome would be like in bed. And as soon as he let the lewd thought enter his mind he gripped his hands, purposefully digging his claws into the palm of his hands. Like hell he was going to let his mind wander into such a boring, vanilla, childhood ruining fantasy.

"Do you want me to put on the fan?" She asked.

Inuyasha swallowed hard, his mouth dry, even though the scent of her was mouth watering.

"Nah. Im good." He said quickly. "Lets get this over with."

That had been the single longest hour of his life.

An hour of temptation. An hour of being pissed the fuck off with her attitude.

How the hell could he be so attracted to someone and hate them so much at the same time? Everything they wanted was opposite. He wanted to plan the project one way, she wanted it the other. He wanted to change the outline, she disagreed. She wanted to order dinner, he wanted to get the fuck out of there. When she noticed that he was taking shallow breaths, his nostrils flaring, she leaned over, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Are you sick or something?"

"It smells in here."

Kagome set her jaw and closed her eyes, swallowing a nasty remark.

"Fine. Lets finish this later. Is Wednesday good?"

Wednesday.

Ugh.

Damn it, he wished he had something going on.

"Wednesday is fine."

"And you don't want to meet here?" She asked, hardly a question.

"Hell no."

"Any suggestions? You know the campus better than me."

"Outside."

"Okay." She answered dryly, "That's narrows it down."

Inuyasha tried to think; he needed a place that wasn't confined so she could stink up the place. "How about the coffee place near the south building?"

"Coffees good. Just text me the name and we can figure out the time later."

"Sure." He answered in a rush, eager to leave.

He pushed the chair out of the table and bolted out of the door, not even bothering to utter a good bye. He rushed back to his apartment, taking deep breaths. This was a first for him. Never before had a woman's scent had him salivating like this. Never before had the smell of someone just fucking _being_ near him made him want to fuck. In his time, he had met plenty of women, had been enticed by the sweet smells of arousal that they gave off.

Never before had it called to his soul like a song.

It was borderline terrifying.

He needed someone to fuck. He had been blue balled for an hour for no god damned reason, and he couldn't even be mad- there was no reason for him to even be turned on! Which pissed him off even more. No matter what, when or how, Kagome always found a way to get under his skin.

He hated that about her.

He invited a girl over, and after that another. And when his desire was not sated by them, he called a few more. He felt like a junkie chasing a high he couldn't get.

He went all week, trying to think of ways to get out of the meeting. He contemplated dropping the class.

But fuck that. He needed it. He wasn't going to let Kagome get in the way. One semester. One semester of putting up with her.

And if that didn't work, then fuck it, he'd deal with it then.

He wasn't looking forward to today. Inuyasha checked his phone again. She should have been here 5 minutes ago. Looking up with a grimace of annoyance he saw her walking towards his table.

"Sorry!" She called to him, waving her hand in a polite hello. "I got a little turned around. This place is so much bigger than it seems."

Stupid wench. Just like her to get lost. As a kid, she was terrified to play in the woods behind the shrine, and if he was honest, it was probably partially because of him. He had told her they were playing a game, led her in the center of the forest and left her. He just needed to get rid of that smell.

It wasn't his fault the cry baby didn't have a sense of direction.

Inuyasha looked up; Kagome had on a slim strapped yellow sundress that fell above the knee. The bright and sunny material matched her smile.

"Its not so big. You just don't know how to navigate."

She rolled her eyes. "Not everyone has your superior sense of direction, dog boy."

"Feh, they should. You'd actually be on time for things. You wouldn't be so reliant on a GPS. We could finish our shit quicker-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." She put up her hands in surrender, a small smile on her lips. "I'm going to order. Want something?"

"Why are you trying to be so nice, when you cant stand me? This aint a date, theres no need to put up with each other fake shit.." He said, feeling like an ass the second it left his lips.

"That's what, the third time you've accused me of trying to date you? Don't worry, you're not my type. I was just trying to be nice, or at the very least, civil. Obviously that's a foreign idea to you." Kagome turned from him and walked inside.

Obviously this wasn't a date.

 _Obviously_.

They were here to work together so that way they could do this project and pass a class.

But, wasn't her type?

What the hell did that mean?

"Inuyasha!" A high pitched voice floated to his ears, causing them to flatten. He turned his head and gave a slight nod, acknowledging the brown haired female that was running over to him. She quickly caught up and gave him a hug, planting herself across from him and playing with his hands as she spoke.

"I had such a good time the other night-" The brunette gave him a sly smile.

Was it because he was a demon? Because he was a _half demon_? Was that why she didn't like him?

"I had no idea you were such an _animal_." She purred, leaning in a bit closer, the pitch of her voiuce lowered to a whisper. Inuyasha sat still as a statue, a puzzled look on his face. "I've been thinking about you since I left. The way you touched me-"

Wasn't her fucking type?

"Can I come over tonight?" The woman rubbed her foot along the side of his leg a sly smile.

Inuyasha looked down to the ground than back up at the brunette, cocking a brow. "What was your name again?"

"Awful." She said in mock anger. "Take me back to your place and I'll make you scream my name." She bit her lower lip seductively.

"Seriously?" came the unamused voice from overhead. "I leave for 3 minutes, and-"

"Hey, she approached me!"

"And 'no' just isn't in your dictionary when a woman hits on you." Kagome narrowed her as as she crossed her arms.

"Don't be so jealous." The girl interjected. Kagome looked down at her in shock.

"The only thing I'm jealous of is your ability to hold his attention for more than 2 seconds." Kagome grabbed Inuyasha by his forelocks, forcing him to look her way. "But for the next hour, this idiot belongs to me! You can have him when I'm finished!"

"Let go, wench!" Inuyasha clenched his teeth, definitely turned on but mostly pissed off. Her temper was aggravating and she grabbed at him just like she used to do when they were kids and would pull each others hair in a tantrum. Thank Gods it was much shorter now- less for the bitch to hang onto. But her scent… damn. Kagome pissed off smelled fucking amazing. Was she the type to get angry then have sex? Gods, that would be- Nope. Better not to go down that road. She smelled great but the second she opened her mouth, or looked at him or was just in his vicinity she drove him up a fucking wall. Biting his tongue, he looked toward the mystery women.

"Well catch up some other time." In turn the girl pouted, but vacated her seat.

"Ugh." Kagome sat down and looked up at Inuyasha with an angry look.

"What the hell was that about?" He questioned.

"You're disgusting." She answered.

"Why? Because I enjoy sex?"

"With every women on campus?" Her voiced raised.

"Not just limited to the campus." He gave her a slight grin.

"Pig." She said, opening the text book.

"Dog demon, actually." Inuyasha joked. "Its in my nature."

"Yeah, well next time were going somewhere that the general public can interfere. Were behind already as it is."

"Relax, we can just stay a little longer." Inuyasha said, waiving away her concerns.

"Cant. Ive got a date after this." Kagome pulled out her notebook from her bag, opening to her notes.

"A date?" He echoed.

So, he wasn't her type…. Who the hell was?


	5. Chapter 5

Inuyasha hadn't meant to follow her, honestly. He had better shit to do with his time then wait 3 minutes after Kagome left to give her a head start then trail her to check out her date. It wasn't like he was interested in what type of man was _actually_ her type. Fuck that, he didn't need to know that shit. But it wasn't exactly like he could get it off his mind and let it go either. They had spent their time doing their work and it had eaten away at him the minute it left her lips despite her prattling on about the project; Surprisingly, Kagome actually had good ideas. _Really_ good ones. It wasn't that he thought she was incapable because she was a woman or any of that shit. It was just that he had never taken her seriously, or hadn't spoken to her since they were mastering multiplication.

It was almost a trance like state; Time seemed to warp and while he nodded along to her ideas and she made notes and plans and all he could wrap his brain around was who the hell the guy she was meeting was. Seriously, it might sound like he was being obsessive, but come on, he _had_ to see who the hell this guy was.

So he waited. One, two, three minutes, then he- very casually mind you- followed her scent, keeping a reasonable distance, of course, and sat in wait. She looked nervous, fidgeted with the strap of her purse as she rocked on her heels. Her anxiety was contagious- he felt fucking squirmy watching her. Her name was called in the crowd, then a large hand gently tapped her shoulder.

Feh, a human. So her type was human males, budging muscles that screamed 'I'm compensating for something' and teeth so white they could blind a person. Typical taste. This boring ass guy could be literally anyone at a house party. He looked like the kind of guy who called everyone bro.

Kagome smiled at him, she was laughing at his jokes, but he could tell she was slightly uncomfortable. Not that she was totally at ease with him either- her scent was constantly spiked with anger and frustration, and she didn't exactly chose to be in his company or cozy up to him (thank Gods)- but he could catch whiffs of her feeling uneasy and nervous. Not the first date nervous, butterflies in your stomach nervous either; this was fucking edgy.

All he had wanted to so was catch a glimpse of the sucker and satisfy his curiosity and he had planned to go on his way. Annoying, boring, gets under your skin Kagome would of course be interested in this type of jerk.

Except she didn't really seem interested.

Polite. That was the word for it. She was acting polite.

Whatever, it didn't fucking matter.

He watched as they walked up to the counter; it was some pretentious tea and snack place that women seemed to love. He had to get out of there, needed an escape. If he didn't, he was going to spend him entire afternoon watching Kagome wat soft serve through the shadows, like the creep he was quickly becoming. Inuyasha turned from his clandestine hiding spot to leave, when he saw an ice cream stand across the street.

Might as well get an extra scoop for the road, right?

He made the purchase quickly- he always chose black raspberry- and walked out of the store. He froze on the spot like a deer in fucking headlights when he didn't see so much as fucking _smell_ Kagome. She was pissed- beyond pissed. As soon as he unraveled her mood his furred ears twitched at the sound of a loud slap. Kagome stalked off, her face flushed from anger and huffed as she came face to face with a shocked hanyou, holding a purple ice cream cone.

"UGH!" She grumbled, clenching her fists by her side. She pushed by the dog demon and walked on.

It took him no effort to catch up to her.

"So, what was that?" He asked casually.

As if he didn't know. As if he didn't follow her down here. Too bad he left when it actually got good.

"Leave me alone, Inuyasha." She said, her words cutting.

"Was your date that good?" He asked. "You were so eager to get away from me-"

"Clearly my day has been full of spectacular examples of the male species." She cut in.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes before taking a long lick of his ice cream. "Feh."

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked. Inuyasha held up the cone in his defense. Kagome eyed it suspiciously. Quickly, she snatched the cone from his hand, giving the cold dessert a lick.

"Hey!" Inuyasha protested.

"I didn't even get any tea." Kagome complained.

"Feh. Your fault for picking such lousy guys. What'd he do any way?"He wasn't curious. And he wasn't fucking relieved that she was walking with him instead of sharing a snack with that dumbass.

Not even a little bit.

" _I_ didn't pick him." She said. "It was a blind date. Hes friends with Mirouk. Its my fault; I should've known that anyone that gets along with that pervert is a creep."

"Then what does that make you?" He asked with a sly smile.

"I don't count. I'm grandfathered in." She looked up at Inuyasha. "He wasn't _such_ a pervert then. Just normal teenage stuff." She shrugged her shoulders. "Now he's Sangos pervert."

"You like him?" He asked.

"Don't be gross. Never." She took another lick of his ice cream.

" _Never?"_ He wasn't feeling relieved. And he wasn't feeling turned on watching her tongue run along the creamy treat. He ran his right hand through his short silver hair.

"Nope."

"You're tellin' me you've been _just_ friends?" The hanyou arched a brow.

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Men and women can't be just friends." He replied. "Sexual tension gets in the way."

Kagome smiled, a deceiving grin. "Well it's a good thing were not friends."

"Keh, you never had to worry about that anyway wench. You aint my type." He grabbed back his cone.

"Why? I have a pulse don't I?"

"I don't go for prudes." Kagomes laughed, despite herself. It bugged the hell out of Inuyasha; it was like she was laughing at some private joke, just for herself.

"So what'd he do anyway?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"He kept lowering his voice so I couldn't hear him well. Then he leaned in to whisper in my ear, and freaking licked it!" She crewed up her face in disgust. He could smell the spike in her scent, drawing him in.

"That's it?" He knew it; bitch was vanilla as they come.

"That's it? Some strange guy you've known less than 30 minutes slobbers on your earlobe and its okay?" She picked up her pace as she began to get excited. "Its one thing when you actually like the guy, but its another thing when it's a total stranger with bad breath and-"

"Geez, okay, okay, I get it." He said in surrender. "So…What is your type?" Inuyasha did his best to sound nonchalant and uninterested.

Kagome just shrugged with a smile, walking ahead. "See ya, dog boy." She smelled so fucking good when she was happy, even if just a little.

Inuyasha watched her walk ahead, the perfect sway of her hips, unintentionally seductive. He had spent the day being lectured by her about a project, consumed by what her date would be like, stalking her and then having her walk off on him.

He hated to admit it, but it wasn't the worst day hes ever had.


	6. Chapter 6

He watched her walk away, the sway of her hips mesmerizing. Back and forth, back and forth, like a vision he couldn't, wouldn't look away from. The corners of his mouth turned up, a toothy smirk on his face when Kagome's suitor walked past him, angry and alone. He felt triumphant knowing she had walked beside him, but had walked away from that jackass.

' _Keh, so she wasn't into these type of guys.'_

And for a moment, one perfect fucking moment, he felt a sense of peace.

And just like that, it disappeared.

' _So what kind of guy did she like?'_ Not that it mattered. Not that he gave a flying fuck who the wench dated, who she brought to her bed.

Brought to her bed.

Sex.

And just like that, he spiraled down the rabbit hole, his sanity going with him.

' _Was she a virgin? Of course she wasn't. That means she slept with someone. Who the fuck has she slept with? Was it one night stands? A boy friend? Who the fuck were her boyfriends?'_

Of course, if he had bothered to show up to any of the shrine events or the random visits when his mother was alive, or even the less frequent ones when Myoga would beg him to go, he would have known the going on in her life. Who the twerp she got her first kiss was, what her high school boyfriends looked like. Maybe if he had shown up he would have realized that she didn't fucking reek, but had one of the most mouth-watering, desire straight to his dick scents he had ever come across. Maybe it would've been him to take her firsts, him touch her body, awakening desire instead of- of-

Of the mystery man- or men- shadow figures he couldn't begin to conjure because it made him feel physically sick.

Bullshit.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, he gave himself one, two punches to the gut.

What in the fucking _hell_ was wrong with him?

Sure, it earned him a few stares from the strangers on campus, but at least he wasn't thinking about Kagome's body being taken by unknown men.

FUCK! He did it again. It was like his mind was going in circles. _Kagome, Kagome, Kagome._ Ever since he had seen her at the party, ever since he got wind of her scent she had creeped into every corner of his mind, taking over and making herself at home.

He needed a distraction, needed an outlet for his lust. Raking a clawed hand through his short hair he set out with determination in his step. He'd find a girl who looked like her, one who smelled like her and another that was her total opposite.

He walked down the path, the same one she had strutted down just moments earlier, ready to erase Kagome from his mind.

At least for the night.

~.~

It didn't work.

He fucked a woman who had hair like Kagome, luscious and full, inky black with a slight wave. All he thought about was the sounds _Kagome_ would make if he gripped the back of her head, giving the thick strands a slight tug, enough to make her moan in desire.

He found a woman who had a figure similar to hers; large breasts, round hips and succulent ass. Not as good as Kagome's. Not nearly as good. As he ran his claws down the woman's side, dipping down to the apex of her thighs, his mind was brought back to how glorious Kagome's looked in that short skirt of hers, how creamy and smooth her skin looked, how his hands ached to touch her.

And then there was the blonde one, with the full lips and green eyes. She looked nothing like the wench. So he closed his eyes and pictured Kagome under him as he thrusted his cock in and out of the stranger, imagined the pants and sighs belonging to the girl who was driving him mad.

Currently he was in someone room-he had no idea who- lying in her bed, sheets tangled around him as he watched the ceiling fan make its rounds. He was unsatisfied, and he had no idea why.

Why was it that Kagome continued to plague him? He wondered what she was doing, where she was, who she was with. _'Who was she with?!'_ Inuyasha felt a growl rise in his chest, anger at an imaginary suitor, at himself for fucking caring.

 _ **Want her.**_

He felt his youkai stir somewhere deep within him. He tried to push it down, deep, _deep_ fucking down. So what if he wanted her? So what if his cock stirred at just the mere thought of her name. It didn't mean he had to act on his carnal desires. Hell, it was scary the way her scent sang to him.

Deciding that he was going to put the wench out of his mind once and for all, he rolled to his side, draping an arm over the warm body next to him. She sighed, scooting closer to him; His bedmate was pretty- a brunette with nice curves. _This_ is what he should be doing- focusing on round 2 with this bombshell. Leaning in he gave her slender neck a nip, her hand flying up to playfully shoo him away. The hanyou began to pepper kisses on pale skin causing the woman to giggle. Two silver ears swiveled to the night stand as his cellphone dinged, alerting him to a new message. Inuyasha propped himself on his elbow and reached over to retrieve his device, every intention of silencing it so he could better enjoy his company.

The dog demon felt a pit in his stomach as Kagome's number popped onto the screen. His throat suddenly dry, Inuyasha tried to swallow down his sudden nervousness.

 _Kagome: Wanna meet up tomorrow to work on the project?_

Inuyasha knit his brows together. That was it?

That was _IT?!_ He quickly responded.

 _Inuyasha: Don't you have anything better to do than homework?_ He swiftly typed. One quick reply, one quick insult. That should end it.

The instant ding seemed to go down his spine. The woman by his side pulled lightly on his arm, demanding his attention. Annoying. Rolling his eyes at the womans neediness, he glanced down at his phone, the reply causing him to sit upright.

 _Kagome: I'll make it worth your while!_

Worth your while.

What the fuck did that mean?!

He could feel his heart rate increase, the sound of each heavy beat in his ears.

 _Inuyasha: Oh?_

He was sitting up now, fully engaged in his conversation, his bedmate forgotten by his side. "Inuyasha…" She purred, trying to regain his attention. He did his best to bite his tongue. This bitch was like an annoying gnat. The only thing he cared about was how Kagome-

A picture.

She had sent him a picture. He tapped on the image, waiting for it to load. Every second that passed felt like an eternity.

Was she sending him pictures of herself? Maybe her hand dipped into her panties, her full bottom lip pouting for him, inviting him to-

Ice cream.

She had sent him a fucking picture of goddamned _ice cream._

 _Kagome: I went today and picked up ice cream! I even got a flavor you liked! : ) Come over and let's get the first phase dooooone._

The hanyou felt his eye twitch as he tried to calm his nerves. She was tempting him… with ice cream. Looking down at the image he felt annoyed he had let his imagination get the better of him. As he replied he felt the corners of his mouth tug up into a smile.

She was talking to him.

 _Inuyasha: Trying to bribe me, wench?_

"If youre going to ignore me then just leave." The brunette said. Inuyasha waved her away as he untangled from the sheets, light footsteps on the floor as he sought out his clothing. He had his phone glued to his hand the whole time. He wanted the conversation to continue, _needed_ it to.

And he wasn't even sure why.

~.~

Kagome had no idea what she was doing. Lying in bed, her pink comforter pulled up around her to keep her cold from the night air as she texted the boy who used to torment her every chance he got.

And she liked it.

She actually _liked_ talking to him. When he wasn't insulting her or telling her how badly she smelled he was quiet witty.

She needed to get this craziness out of her head, needed to get the image of _him_ of her head. Sure, he was annoying and every time he opened his mouth some foul insult came out… but _Gods_ did he look good saying it. Typing a quick reply, she shut down the conversation, hoping to dampen the giddy feelings she felt in her stomach.

 _Kagome: Go to sleep, dog-boy._ She texted. Kagome closed her eyes, secretly regretting her decision. Why did she feel so uncomfortable letting it end there? Why was it that no matter where she went Inuyasha somehow seemed to be there. When she had seen him today, standing in the square as she marched past him, he looked like a freaking God with his tanned skin, his amber eyes, his white shirt that seemed to hug every inch of his defined chest. At that moment he was the very last person she had wanted to see.

As she walked with him, she felt better, relieved; almost happy. Kagome couldn't make head or tails of it. She walked off and he was left in her wake.

For some reason, it wasn't enough for her. She found herself thinking of him, of the way he looked, the crooked smile he wore. He was so different from the brat who used to show up at her house, pushing her down in the dirt.

Gods, she wouldn't mind if her pushed her down now.

She was fighting an attraction to him, and losing steadily. Kagome closed her eyes as she pictured him once more, his silver hair gleaming in the sun. The small vibration from her phone caused her to snap open her eyes, an anxious feeling in her chest. It was him. She was excited and she shouldn't be- but she couldn't help it.

 _Inuyasha:_ Night, wench. See ya tomorrow.

Kagome smiled.

She would see him tomorrow.

A/N:: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I recently started a new job that took every ounce of energy out of me. This story has been on my brain and I knew I needed to update it. I have so much I want to do with these two, and im dying to get to the _good_ chapters!

As always, please review if you liked it! It makes my day!


	7. Chapter 7

"I can NOT believe you're _willingly_ inviting Inuyasha here." Sango said, brushing her long brown locks back as she prepared for her day. She found it strange the way Kagome's opinion of the hanyou had changed over the past month. For the entire time she had known her best friend, the resentment of her childhood bully was as unceasing. Sango had been shocked to open the door the day they moved in to find a dog demon standing in the threshold. Short shaggy locks, silver clashing against amber eyes with a look of contempt burning in them; she instantly understood Kagome's loathing, one which she had often told her was petty and dramatic in the past. The way he furrowed his brow, the arrogant way he turned up his lips, as if he was too god to grace their doorstep turned her stomach, and she could only imagine what it was like for young Kagome, now that she was able to put a face and personality to the stories.

But now it was different.

Now Kagome hummed excitedly as she tidied up the kitchen, getting ready for her visitor. Sango watched as she dragged over a chair to the sink, trying to reach the top cabinets to put away their dishes. She had pinned her hair back at the top to make a loose bun, the bottom half of her black hair falling in waves around her shoulders. She wore a cute off the shoulder top and a simple pair of jean shorts. She didn't look dressed up or anything, but she looked like she was trying- a _little_.

"I can't believe it either, honestly." She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "But he's getting more bearable. It seems like every day I'm able to tolerate him more. He's kind of growing on me."

Even when Kagome spoke about him her tone changed, softened from what it previously was. It was an unnatural shift and Sango was still trying to adjust.

"Like a mold." Sango added. Kagome gave her friend a knowing look.

"More like a light Stockholm syndrome, if you ask me." Miroku chimed in. He had barely contributed to the conversation, finding the girls couch and play station more intriguing. He spoke without even looking at them. "You're spending a lot of time with him, his inconsistency for your shared project is making your worried and preoccupying your thoughts-"

" _Light_ Stockholm syndrome?" Kagome mocked, stopping to look at her best friend. Ever since he started that psychology class he was driving her up a wall with newly acquired knowledge. "There's no such thing as _light_ Stockholm syndrome. And that not even how it works anyway."

"Sounds like you don't want to admit it. Already falling in love with your captor, Kago- _Gods,_ would you just ask for help?!" Miroku's jests quickly turned to anger, curtly throwing down the controller, crossing over to her. "That chair is ready to fall apart and you're way to clumsy to do this!"

"I'm not clumsy!" Kagome objected, her voice rising in the process. He was right- the chairs were not in the _best_ shape, and sure, they were on their way out; but they served their purpose and worked just fine… even if they wobbled a little.

Miroku raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on his face. "Says the girl who couldn't go swimming the entire summer in 7th grade because she broke her leg… tripping over her OWN FOOT."

"It was the shoes!" Kagome said horrified. "They were too big, and I fell-"

"Down the shrine stairs! Who in the hell does that happen to?!" He said, throwing up his hands, incredibly irritated. Kagome and her constant test of gravity was a constant plague. She was always tripping, falling, bumping into corners of desks, tables, people-whatever. It gave him a migraine just seeing her standing on a chair, slightly wobbly from wear, trying to stack glass plates.

"Give Kagome some credit, Miroku." Sango tried in her defense, "She's gotten a lot better!"

"Ha! She just hides it better. Don't encourage her Sango. You're her roommate. If she falls and breaks her arm, its going to be you stuck taking care of her." Flashbacks to that summer ran through his mind.

Kagome shot her "best friend" a look. "Hey!" She knew Miroku had good intentions, and yes, she wasn't the most graceful creature on the planet, but he took things too far sometimes. "I get your worried, but _this_ isn't a big deal."

He shook his head, his rehearsed argument ready. "But-"

"Ugh" Kagome moaned in annoyance. "Sango, can't you take your boyfriend out and get him to stop nagging?" Sango laughed as she held out her hand to Kagome, silently ushering her to get down. Holding on to her hand, she jumped down and gave Sango a pleading smile.

"No way. Were not leaving until we see what this guy is like for ourselves. Besides, you know how he is about safety. Always the chivalrous knight. You should have seen him yesterday when we went out for a walk. A homeless man asked me for spare change and-"

"Dangerous!" He cut in, his concern flaring.

Kagome shook her head. Honestly, she wished they would just leave. She knew they meant well, knew they wanted to size up Inuyasha for themselves; if it was Sango in her postion, she would be doing the same thing.

It didn't stop her from feeling annoyed. In the back of her mind, she wished that she and the dog demon could be alone.

' _No! No theres no_ need _for us to be alone. Theres no reason for us to spend time together… in my apartment.. just the two of us…'_

She hated to admit it but the more she spoke to him, the more they talked, the more she was intrigued by the hanyou, the more she wanted to get to know him. She was surprised to find that he had a funny side. It was wicked, and you had to understand his personality to appreciate it, but it was there.

She enjoyed talking to him.

They were becoming…friends. And friends often hung out together, alone. Often wanted to be able to hang out without company intruding…. _right?_

~.~

The day was quite warm, the sun high in the sky and the slight breeze did little to temper the heat. It did not seem to bother Inuyasha; he was walking across campus, purpose in every footstep. Today, he was going to see Kagome.

It bothered him to no end that he was excited about this; really, it wasn't a big deal. He was going to some chicks place to do school work. Not a date, not to screw, not even to hang out. To fucking work on a project. Not even friends.

Why the hell did that bother him so god damned much?

Inuyasha stood in front of her door, preparing himself before knocking. He stared at the brass numbers, placed above the peephole.

353.

It was familiar, standing here, debating on turning around, running away. His anticipation in seeing her was making him anxious, and this feeling was NOT one he fucking liked. It was uncomfortable and uncomfortable wasn't how he operated.

But he knocked. Fidgeting while waiting, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He heard her race to the door, heard her heart beating before she even opened it. He felt it again, that sinking feeling in his stomach.

The door gave a slight creak, only amplified due to his demon hearing, and she greeted him with a bright smile. "Hey!" She seemed slightly out of breath and his eyes were glued to the rise and fall of her chest. Inuyasha swallowed hard. She looked pretty today. Was that for him?

No, no of course it wasn't. She was pretty all the God damned time. But she smelled amazing. He breathed it in and he swore he could feel the electrifying energy setting his blood on fire. He wanted to grab her close to him, push her into the house and fuck her raw on the counter. She was looking at him so pure, she smelled so fucking right-

What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he checking out _Kagome?_ Why was she fucking effecting him like this?

"Can I come in or are you going to block the doorway all night?" His mouth felt dry as the callous words came out. Damn, he didn't even mean to sound like such a bastard. It was like a reflex when it came to her. He watched Kagome frown as she opened the door wider, turning to lead him inside. Inuyashas mouth felt dry as he watched the sway of her hip, her perfectly round ass.

"So you're Inuyasha." A distinctly male voice cut through the hypnosis of Kagome's backside. He wasn't sure who in the hell the guy was, but he was covered in Kagomes scent. He was apparently someone who spent a great deal of time with her. Inuyasha had to suppress a growl he felt rising.

' _Is… is that jealously? Why in the HELL am I jealous?'_

"And you are?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The male in front of him seemed territorial, protective. It pissed him off. A woman- the same woman that opened the door the first time- came to stand behind him, as if sizing him up.

"Miroku. Kagome's best friend. I've heard a lot about you." His tone was flat, unwelcoming. The man crossed his arms as well, mirroring the new addition.

Feh. Friend.

Kagome had told him about this fucker. When he asked if they were together or ever had been she scoffed at the idea. It gave him some comfort, but he still wasn't satisfied.

"Did she?" Amber eyes narrowed to look at Kagome. She looked surprised; or caught. He couldn't tell which.

"Mm. Like how you terrorized her as a kid. I'll be honest, I'm not too fond of the idea of you being here." Kagome wedged in between the two, giving each of them a stern look. She couldn't believe how stupid the guys in her life were.

" _UGH,_ Would you just leave, Miroku? Sango! Come get your boyfriend!" Kagome called out, pleading for her other best friend. She appreciated that Miroku was trying to be protective and kind, but when he got in moods like these he became the annoying big brother no one wanted. Sango didn't seem to be any help; she waivered between hating the idea of Inuyasha and eager to see how it played out. Kagome sighed; it was going to be a long night.

~.~

In the end, the pair would not leave. Miroku and Sango settled down in the couch, immersed in a video game. Kagome and Inuyasha worked at the kitchen table, papers and notes spread out. For the most part the two communicated only about their ideas, no hint of personal messages or the things they discussed when they texted. All in all, it left Kagome feeling a bit underwhelmed. She had hoped that when she saw him it would be… different. Maybe more friendly? She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she knew that today they felt further apart than before.

"Sorry about all that." She said under her breath. She glanced at him, her blue eyes catching his ears swiveling to hear her better. "I'm so embarrassed. Miroku should never have treated you that way."

Inuyasha felt his pulse speed up; he looked at the ceiling, than back down at his papers. Anywhere but her eyes. "Feh, don't worry about it. I probably deserved it. I wasn't exactly nice to you." He said in a hushed whisper. Kagome leaned in closer and Inuyasha felt panicked.

"But still, it wasn't his place. If I'm not mad at you then-"

"Kagome!" Miroku shouted, never taking his eyes from the game. Sango slapped his arm, fully aware he was trying to spoil any intimate moment the two could have. "Could you get me a glass of water?" Inuyasha felt a surge of annoyance; he wished that they were alone, that they were back at his place where nosy ass friends wouldn't interrupt them.

For school work purposes. Purely school work.

"Kagome, don't give this pest anything." Sango gave her boyfriend a scolding look.

Clenching her teeth she replied, "Its fine. I'll get drinks. And then Miroku is going to take you out for a walk. _Right?_ " The way she looked at him left no room for arguments. Inuyasha couldn't help feeling pleased. Then wench was feeling irritated too.

Waiving her off Miroku easily agreed. Dragging a chair over to the counter, Kagome climbed up, grabbing several glasses. The sound of the chair creaking, too small for human ears to pick up grated him. He turned, ready to warn her about her old furniture, when he saw her stumble. She had meant to take a step to the side, but the chair leaned, making her lose her balance. Bolting from his own seat, Inuyasha caught her waist in his hands.

It felt like fire in his hands; soft yet firm, burning in his palms. He wanted to lift the fabric of her shirt up, feel her exposed flesh, run his tongue over the creamy skin. His mind was running away with him; it was fucking dangerous to touch her.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" He chastised. "This thing is fucking falling apart. Just ask for help!"

Miroku watched the pair, the awkward look on their faces. It was his first time seeing Kagome so panicked. With Hojo she had been calm, sure of herself. She never had the giddiness of their peers; she had always emanated such a mature aura. But with the dog demon she seemed tongue-tied and uncertain. It was a side to her he hadn't seen, and frankly, it was refreshing.

He also was able to stop her from breaking her damn foot. That was definitely a plus.

"Th-the chair." She swallowed, hyper aware of his hands still holding her hips. "It's just old. Th-Thanks." Looking down at his claws flush against his shirt she suddenly felt nervous. He quickly removed his hands as if he had done something wrong.

"They're flirting." Sango whispered, a sly smile on her lips.

 _Flirting?_

Him?! With Kagome?!

Stealing a glance at her, he noticed the pretty way she blushed, the nervous way she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her scent spiked and he felt himself grow hungry for her.

Fine.

He was attracted to her.

He, Inuyasha, thought Kagome smelt fucking fantastic and looked phenomenal. And sure, he thought about her sometimes, when he was alone, when he was with others, when he was screwing other women.

Not a big deal.

But flirting?

He did _not_ flirt. Ever.

She looked at him and smiled, her cheeks still flushed, holding out a glass of water. He felt wildly thankful he was able to see this side of her- and wildly angry that some other man might have the chance to. Inuyasha reached for the cup, his fingers brushing over hers, making her scent rise once more, making his pupils dilate in need. As he brought the cold liquid to his lips he mentally reminded himself to order her a new kitchen set. He didn't want to give any other asshole the opportunity to touch her.

Fuck.

Maybe he was jealous.


End file.
